Teen Preferences

[kjcolv]

My 15 yo DS asked me to post and ask what other teens thought were the best "teen" activities. What should he spend his excursion allotment on? Wild Side, Junkaroo Jam, or other activities on the 4 day?? Were there any "don't miss" activities?? Thanks

 

[dvcmomdeh]

This is what my 15 yo son had to say.

"My name is Brian. I'm fifteen too and have been on the cruise. Oh my gosh... where to start...uh... I guess I'll start with the basics... There are tons of things to do for teens on the ship. There is a "teen's only" kind of club called Common Grounds, which is really tight because its a place to just sit back, relax, have some coffee (if they got a new machine, it was broke or stolen when I went), watch a movie, listen to music, have a coke, or play games like jenga (which is really hard considering how the boat sways back and forth). The counselor people in Common Grounds are extremely cool. They plan activities for us everyday, so there is never a dull moment. They had a work out schedual where we would work out every morning (jogs around the ship and such), and times to go and play basketball, hockey, and stuff like that on the b-ball courts (its also hard to play basket ball with the wind). There's also theaters to watch movies with friends or family, live shows (Hercules was hilarious), stand up comedy shows, pools, free pizza and ice cream, gift shop, and, my I say, exquisite dining. One of the mistakes I made on the ship was I didnt spend enough time with my family. You have to balance it. I was up doing stuff with the other teens until 3 in the morning almost every night...hehe...fun stuff...and try to do the teen excursion (WILDSIDE) on Castaway Cay, that was awesome... Well, I hope this helped.... have fun!"

 

[kjcolv]

Thanks for the great insights! (and the note to spend at least some time with the rest of the family!). How about the harbor cruise thing in Nassau??

 

[dclwdwlover]

Prior to going on the Wonder in Oct 2001 our then 15 yo son thought that everything on the cruise having to do with teens specifically looked 'childish' & that he wouldn't be interested. You can look up EVERYTHING there is to do with a full explanation of the activities at www.disneycruise.com & follow the links. (Sorry - I haven't done it since Sept. 2001).
Anyway, he is not a difficult or out of control teenager whatsoever - he just knows what he likes - or so he thought.
When I would read him stuff off the site like "Scavenger hunt", "Floatable Raft building competition" - he would be like, "Yeah, right!".
Needless to say, he ABSOLUTELY LOVED being with the teens & participated in EVERYTHING that they did. I signed him up for Wildside on CC & the Junkanoo @ Nassau. He had a blast on CC, but thought the Junkanoo was 'alright', but he had a good time he said. Then again, he doesn't dance.
He has maintained a ton of friends that he still corresponds with all over the United States (IN, FL, etc.)
We had agreed prior that he would have to meet us for dinner each night to spend time w/us & tell us about his day. Good thing - because that was the ONLY time we would see him unless we happened to run into him with all of the friends he had made. All four nights he came back to the cabin between 4 & 5 in the am. (He is not allowed out past midnight @ home even tho he's 17) In fact, a few times my husb. & I secretly 'checked up' on him & found a bunch of the teens just hanging out & talking & laughing. It was his vacation too, so we let him go.
When we decided to book another cruise coming up this Oct. we included the kids in the planning & both he & our 12 yo wanted to go on the Wonder again & not try another ship. In fact, he asked that we changed the date by a week because he thought it would be 'cool' (my word-not his) to turn 18 ON the ship. If your son has any ques. let us know & I'll have my son respond directly.

 

[kjcolv]

We were on the wonder 3 years ago when my son turned 12 on board. He had a great time then and is looking forward to returning as a Teen. He still emails people from that cruise. He wants to wait and see about the teen excursions, but I know some of the activities fill up and I don't want him to miss something great. He knows what an overplanner I am (thanks to great boards like this) so he is relying on the help from others to guide him. I will pass the link on to him and see if he has any questions. I will take the advice and insist on dinner with the family! If we can help you with any Universal info let us know we have quite a bit of expereince there and are actually headed to Portofino Bay and IOA for the four days after our cruise. Thanks again, would your son know if they have DDR (Dance Dance Revolution game) on board?

 

[dclwdwlover]

I'll ask him. Check later 2nite or 2moro. He's @ work now & he's a busy guy.

We'd appreciate ANY info on Univ. We are going to be staying @ the Royal Pacific. Never been to IOA & very much looking forward to it. Going just before Halloween - what's good for a 17 yo & 12 yo (boys)? We've been to the studios park & loved it.

Some of the things that I remember my son talking about a lot on the Wonder was just hanging out in Common Grounds, the scavenger hunt (which is done with camcorders) & Wild Side. I'll check with him on what else & any specifics.

 

[kjcolv]

Email me if you want IOA specifics, (I tried to email you). Staying on property is the key to getting that express access. But still they will want to hit Incredible Hulk and Spiderman first thing. The line can get outrageous and SPiderman can have "technical difficulties". If they are roller coaster fans, Hulk and Dueling Dragons are two of the best. My boys love them (we did a 4 park 40 different coasters vacation last year). IOA has a lot of wet rides, bathing suits or nylon shorts are a must, no denim shorts. Don't worry about rushing to get in line for DD (Dueling Dragons) It's always fast and has the best themeing IMHO, so the walk through is always enjoyable. You can get off one side and get right back in line for the other side. It's fun to compare. Let me know any other specific ??

 

[dclwdwlover]

Hi, my son is sitting here & said he liked the following:
Junkanoo Jam was really fun, he said
Wild Side was a good time
He liked when they did the scavenger hunt & the teens video taped their own skits
He's not sure if they have DDR or not but they do have video games
He said not to be afraid to approach any of the teens - they like it when the kids go up & talk to each other. He said mostly everyone just had a good time "chillin'"
He said I can give your son his e-ml address if he's interested
Thanks for the info on Univ. We are big rollercoaster fans.

 

[themintyone]

I'm a 14 year old girl, and I was on the Magic for a 7 Day cruise this past Christmas. I'd say the biggest don't miss activity is the meet on the first day. Be there early, it gets crowded! I made a ton of friends in the first two days, and we didn't do too much at Common Grounds, really. We spent most of our time hanging out, sometimes in Common Grounds, sometimes in what we called the 'hidden stairway' (he can e-mail me if he wants to know where it is, my friends and I made a vow not to tell the adults ).
Also, the parties are great, if you're not afraid to dance and get a little goofy with the Karaoke. I wound up staying out really late most nights, sleeping in most mornings, and having the greatest time of my life. I'm sure your son will find something enjoyable to do!

 

[EPCOTgrl1]

I am a 17 year old girl...but when i did wildside i was 15. I had alot of fun! I guess that you would have more fun if you have a good group. But if you dont like riding bikes, swimming, and boating its not for you. If you do like doing all of that then i say go for it! i had a BLAST and i cant wait to do it agian in July!

As for where we hung out... well on my last cruise ( that was new years of '02) we hung out at common grounds or inside somewhere because the weather was so bad. But in July we were everywhere. in each other's rooms, the pool and hottub, CG, and around the ship. It was good fun.

 

[kjcolv]

 

[kjcolv]

Thanks for the help, unfortunately DS just lost his IM and internet priviledges for a time. When he gets them back I'm sure he'll IM and email you for the secret info!! Thanks again

 

[lancerguys]

I am a 15 year old boy. I went on the Wonder last year, and let me tell you, I had a blast. I didn't do any of the excursions, although I wish I did the Junkajoo jam because that's how kids first started getting to know each other. Tell him to start talking with kids early, because I made the mistake of not really getting to know anyone until like the third afternoon. So that was a bummer. But I still talk with a couple of girls I met. CG is awesome, I loved talking with the counselors. THe parties were great. Also, touching on a subject from earlier, I kinda wish I went to more dinners with my family. I went to one, but the other nights I either went and got pizza on my own, ordered room service, or went to ESPN Zone. If your son is a sports fan, he HAS to go there. there are nachos and hot dogs, and tv's everywhere. it was great. my twin bro and I had a blast. anyway, if he has any more questions, please PM me and I would be more than happy to help him out.
Kraig